ENVE SES 4.5 WHEELSET

How ENVE tests its wheels

ENVE Composites designs, tests and manufactures its carbon rims in an 80,000 square foot facility in Ogden, Utah. ENVE describes the site as having manufacturing, assembly, design, R&D, test lab, customer support and the business team under one roof, and says it has been committed to US manufacturing since 2007. Every SES rim is handmade in Ogden, and ENVE states that a new lay-up technician undergoes six months of training before certification. Wheels are built to order, which ENVE says minimizes waste and allows custom hub, spoke and decal options.

ENVE publishes its impact test program in detail. Three in-house standards are used: a standard impact test (since 2007) that drops a weight onto both rim walls to simulate square edge hits, with drop heights of 10 inches for XC, 12 inches for trail and 14 inches for gravity rims; a single sided impact test (since 2014) that loads only one rim wall, at 5, 6, 8 and 10 inches for XC, trail, gravity and DH race; and an every spoke hole impact test (since 2021) in which the wheel is rotated after each hit so every spoke hole is struck until first visible damage, which can mean more than 100 impacts on one rim. ENVE reports its current M Series rims outscore the previous generation on that cumulative fatigue score by 10 to 47 percent depending on model.

ENVE's hookless rims use a Wide Hookless Bead, a wider, more forgiving surface at the leading edge of the rim that ENVE says dissipates impact energy and reduces the likelihood of pinch flatting a tubeless tire. ENVE states the hookless design allows machined metal tooling to hold a precise bead seat diameter that meets the ETRTO requirement. In the eight years since its first hookless road wheels, ENVE reports more than 1,000 tubeless tire tests; for a tire to be listed as approved it must hold 120 psi, or 165 percent of the ETRTO/ISO reference pressure, well beyond the ISO 4210 requirement of 110 percent for five minutes. Maximum pressures are published per model: SES 3.4 and SES 4.5 are rated 80 psi with 27 to 29 mm tires and 67 psi with tires over 30 mm; SES 2.3 and SES 6.7 are rated 90 psi with a 25 mm tire. ENVE advises always defaulting to the lower of the rim and tire maximum. ENVE does not publish a wheel specific rider weight limit; its tire pressure guidance suggests riders in the 240 to 250 lb range move to 30 to 32 mm tires to stay within pressure limits, and its complete bikes carry a 300 lb rider limit.

The Smart ENVE System (SES) is built on the Real-World Fast philosophy developed with aerodynamicist Simon Smart since 2009. Rather than optimizing for a steady wind tunnel condition, ENVE develops rim shapes for rapid airflow reattachment after gusts, and states that SES wheels are tested at 20 mph and 30 mph across a weighted range of wind angles, with a shallower front rim for crosswind stability and a deeper rear rim for reduced drag. The SES PRO line was developed with UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogacar under World Tour requirements, which ENVE notes include compliance with the governing bodies, and ENVE's Custom Road bike is stated to be UCI compliant and approved for UCI sanctioned events. The INNERDRIVE hub in current SES and G Series wheels uses a 42 mm oversized ratchet positioned over the bearings with Perfect Preload wave washers, and ENVE says it has been proven by UAE Team Emirates over tens of thousands of World Tour miles.

ENVE covers rims and components with a Limited Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for the original owner (hub internals and bearings one year); subsequent owners receive five years from the manufacture date. A separate crash replacement program replaces rims and components at no charge for the first three years from purchase, with a prorated discount after that, for original owners with proof of purchase. ENVE says it does not design products to be indestructible, and that labor and shipping are not included.

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Warranty and certifications

• Limited Lifetime Warranty — Rims and components covered for the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship; paint two years; hub internals and bearings one year; subsequent owners five years from manufacture date (source)
• Crash replacement — Rims and components replaced at no charge for three years from original purchase, prorated discount after that; original owners with proof of purchase; shipping and labor not included (source)
• Impact test standards — Three in-house standards: standard (10/12/14 in drop by category), single sided (5/6/8/10 in) and every spoke hole cumulative fatigue test, 100 plus impacts to first damage (source)
• Hookless tire compatibility testing — Over 1,000 tubeless tire tests; approved tires must hold 120 psi, 165 percent of the ETRTO/ISO reference, versus the ISO 4210 requirement of 110 percent; bead seat diameter meets ETRTO (source)
• Maximum tire pressure (hookless) — SES 3.4 and 4.5: 80 psi with 27 to 29 mm tires, 67 psi over 30 mm; SES 2.3 and 6.7: 90 psi with 25 mm tire; default to the lower of rim and tire maximum (source)
• Made in USA — Rims handmade in ENVE's 80,000 sq ft Ogden, Utah facility; lay-up technicians certified after six months of training; UCI compliant Custom Road frame built in the same facility (source)

Sources on ENVE's site:

• ENVE: U.S. Made By Choice
• ENVE: M Series Impact Testing 2024
• ENVE: Hookless Rim Technology 101
• ENVE: Real World Fast
• ENVE: Tire Pressure
• ENVE: Warranty

Everything in this section is published by ENVE. ProWheelBuilder is the seller, not the tester, and the wheel reaches you as the maker builds it.